


Old Kindred Souls

by 20DruidicKats



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: An AU of the fic Ocean on Fire by TheNinjaMouse, Eva is a very old friend of Grillby's, Female Shore, For a little background on her, Gen, Grillby's Backstory, Mages, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of killing and death, She was also the High General of the monster army, Shore is Ninja's OC/Reader insert, Wartime-Grillby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 03:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17438864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/20DruidicKats/pseuds/20DruidicKats
Summary: This is a tale of an old, long-lost friend of Grillby’s coming back and finally telling her tale of how she survived the War, avoided being trapped underground with the rest of their people, and lived among the humans for a millennium.





	1. When Old Friends Reunite

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ocean on Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10969491) by [TheNinjaMouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNinjaMouse/pseuds/TheNinjaMouse). 



> I originally posted this on Tumblr sometime mid-2018 and I'm finally getting around to posting it here.  
> This is a mini-fic based on the fic Ocean on Fire by TheNinjaMouse. Please go read it; it's a brilliantly written fic with absolutely lovable characters! 
> 
> If you see this Ninja, I'm thanking you for the millionth time for allowing Eva to play in your wonderful universe!

The sunsets in this part of the world had always been beautiful. Yellow bled into pinks and oranges and in turn bled into the most brilliant shades of red. If there were clouds, they would be set alight in hues of pink and violet. The ocean below acted as a perfect mirror and for those brief moments it seemed that the dying sun had set it alight. Too soon, though, would the sky be taken over by the deepest of purple and inky blue, seeping into the cracks left behind by the brilliance of the light.

It was in that time that teetered between sunset and true nightfall that a lone figure leaned against the wall of a quaint two-storied cottage. The figure was not watching the horizon though, her face turned towards the city. Lights popped up from everywhere, bright against the darkness of the mountain. It was beautiful in its own way, like an ocean of grounded stars.

The door opened and warm light spilled out onto the yard, illuminating the figure. She didn’t turn, though her head tilted slightly. The shadow of a great monster blocked a great amount of the light and for several heartbeats the night was silent.

“You do not have to go out tonight, Eva,” Toriel said, voice as warm as her home, “You have traveled far to get here.”

The figure, Eva, turned at the monsters’ voice, finally revealing her face. The light slanted over skin as pale as fresh parchment stretching over regal cheekbones. Eva’s gaze, an unreadable depth of wisdom, flicked up to meet the much larger monsters’ and the skin around her eyes tightened.

“It has been a millennium-” Eva began, her melodious accent steady, though ringing with an unidentifiable emotion, “-since I have been able to walk among the people without an illusion. I cannot bear to hide any longer, Toriel.”

The goat monster nodded, gaze melting in understanding. “Be safe then. The door will be unlocked for when you decide to come back.”

Eva’s features remained tight, though she dipped her head in gratitude. A light breeze danced across the hill and tousled the other woman’s inky hair. She brushed it back behind long pointed ears, turned away from the warm house, and started on the path leading into Daiport.

It didn’t take her very long to reach what the locals call the Walk. It being just past sunset there were still quite a bit of people, humans and monsters alike, milling about on the boardwalks. She felt the stares from the people around her but she paid them no mind as she wandered.

Eva watched human and monster children gather around an ice cream—no, it was something called ‘nice cream’, as the sign brightly proclaims—attended by a jovial blue rabbit monster wearing an equally cheerful uniform.

The sight brings a light smile to her face; it’s wonderful to see the two species interact peacefully once again. It was almost like the War had never happened. Almost. Her smile melted from her face; maybe, just maybe, they can make the peace last longer this time. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable day, may that day be far, far in the future, to when the two species will turn on each other again.

With a sigh, the woman moved on. If she noticed the berth the humans gave her she gave no sign of it, simply content with enjoying the warm summer breeze and smiling kindly at the monsters who greeted her. Soon she found herself at the center of the Walk, staring up at a metal statue that definitely had not been there before.

It was of a child, a human child who looked eerily like the child Toriel is taking care of, clasping the hands of a monster child, face obscured by a hood, across from them. The delta rune, the symbol of their kind, hung above them, bringing together the entire piece.

A lump formed in Eva’s throat and her eyes burned with emotion as she examined it. Despite herself, despite her dread for the inevitable, she felt hope bloom warm in her chest. Hope for a future where the peace endured and the previous bloodshed could be something recorded in books, never forgotten but learned from.

The sound of a door swinging open and raucous laughter spilling out onto the boardwalk brought Eva’s attention back to the here and now. A strange green light flickered just on the edge of her peripherals and the woman flicked her gaze towards it.

Only to do a double-take, eyes wide with surprise.

There, in a rather cute apron, a notepad in one of their hands and a pencil in the other, was a green fire elemental. Eva stared openly. An elemental? Here? They still persisted?

Without realizing it, the woman wandered towards the elemental, having a sudden inexplicable desire to talk to them. To maybe see if they knew the fate of one of her oldest friends.

As if by fate, the green elemental glanced up and locked gazes with her. The elemental’s flame brightened, just briefly, to a bright, almost-yellow colour in their surprise. The flame returned to its green hue as they gave her a warm smile.

“Hi!” They—she, the voice was feminine—called out, giving her a small wave. “Welcome to Grillby’s! Would you like to come in and try some of our famous magical drinks? My name’s Fuku and I can get you started with something!”

Eva started violently when she heard his name, her Soul jumping to her throat. Her head snapped up and searched frantically for the sign of the restaurant and there it was. Written in bright neon lights was his name.

“Ma'am? Are you okay?” Fuku asked, startling Eva out of her racing thoughts.

She glanced down when she felt a warm hand touch her arm and realized that the elemental had crossed the distance when she received no answer from the shocked woman.

Eva tried to force a smile but it tasted of falseness even to her. She could tell that the elemental was not convinced by the change of pace in her flames.

“D..does Grillby own this bar?” She asked quietly, making an effort to pull herself together.

Fuku nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Is…is he here tonight?”

Another nod. “Yes…”

That’s all she needed to know. Eva smiled a more sincere smile, reached up and patted her ever-shifting hand. “Thank you, I do think I shall go in.”

Without another word, the woman slipped past the green elemental and grasped the door handle. She hesitated; her eyes fluttered shut for a moment and she took a deep breath. Releasing that breath, she eased the door open and stepped into the warmth.

Some part of Eva’s brain noted how nice the place was, with its warm lighting and soothing jazz playing from a corner of the restaurant. The rest of her attention was completely stolen by the tall burning man behind the counter, a little off to the side talking to a familiar-looking skeleton and a human woman with hair like the flames of a fire. Like a moth to a flame, Eva was crossing the restaurant before it even registered that her legs were moving. The movement caught his attention and he looked up, golden eyes locking with her own violet ones. Grillby straightened with a quick jerk, eyes going impossibly wide. His entire head brightened for a brief moment and popped loudly.

Eva stopped just short of the bar seats and looked up at the elemental, stare devouring every feature, every detail of the man before her. Her Soul pounded a mile a minute, an ache curling around the edges of her chest. He was doing the same, she was sure by the pitch of his flame, and for several long minutes they did nothing but stare at each other.

Finally Eva quirked her lips and cocked her head slightly. It took a moment to find her voice, and it shook with every restrained emotion pounding in her chest.

“It has been… far too long, Grillby.”

“Eva..?” He breathed, flames flashing in hues of bright orange and purple.

A laugh burst from her throat, sharp and nearly hysterical. Her chest hurt with all the emotions straining to burst out of her.

“Have you forgotten my face then, Sparkshine? You gave your word long ago that you would not.”

Slowly, as if fast movement would dissolve the illusion that she certainly was not, Grillby took his hand back from the human woman's, rounded the edge of the bar, and stopped a few feet away from her. Eva’s features softened when she saw that his hands were shaking just the tiniest bit and opened her arms to him. Grillby hesitated, hungry gaze sweeping once more over her face.

She smiled and murmured in the monster language that had long gone without use, “I am no illusion, no ghost, my friend. I promise you this.”

Without another moment he crossed the distance and swept her into a tight embrace. Pure happiness and relief sang through the woman as the sweet smell of smoke filled her nostrils and his natural heat sunk into her skin. Her eyes watered at the comforting familiarity of the embrace, something she hadn’t felt in so, so long. A bright, happy laugh burst out of Eva’s throat even as the first of her tears crawled down her cheeks. Grillby’s flames popped and shuddered in response and he clutched her just the tiniest bit tighter before slowly releasing her.

Eva wiped away her tears and absolutely beamed up at the elemental, her hands catching one of his own between them. “You have grown into a fine man, Sparkshine. I can hardly believe it!”

He brightened into happy yellows, though purple disbelief still ran through them. “I…How are you here? The last time I saw you you were…”

Eva’s smile dimmed and a deep sigh pushed its way out of her throat. She cast a glance at the skeleton and the human woman watching them. The skeleton, Sans, already had heard this story, being at Toriel’s when she came knocking, but the human…

Well, if Grillby trusted the flame-haired woman, she should too.

Turning back to Grillby, Eva squeezed his hand lightly and tilted her head towards the bar. “Make me a drink and introduce me to your sweetheart and I will tell you how I survived.”

This time she couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter as his flames erupted in a flurry of blue at the same time she heard the human squeak. She even got a light wheeze out of the skeleton. Snickering to herself, the older woman approached the flustered human and stuck her hand out in greeting.

“I am called Eva,” she said, “One of Grillby’s old friends.”

The flustered woman, now an impressive shade of red, took her hand in a surprisingly firm grip. “_-______ Shore. T-though you can just call me Shore.”

Eva smiled down at her, sincere in its warmth. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” She tilted her head slightly, a mischievous glint popping into her eyes. “I do hope you are taking care of dear Grillby! He tends to get a bit too absorbed in his work if he’s not careful! I cannot tell you how many times I have had to drag him away from the sparring field back in the day!”

Her smile widened as Sans choked on a laugh and Grillby released a sharp POP behind her. Shore snorted and clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes full of mirth even as her face reddened further.

“Know that too well,” Shore replied, eyes flicking to Grillby, “Sometimes we have to practically beg him to close the bar just a little early!”

Eva chuckled, just imagining the scene. She cast a glance back at Grillby, who was behind the bar and watching the two with embarrassed defeat, and gave him a wide grin.

The older woman jerked a thumb at Shore and called over to him, “I like her already! Keep this one, would you?”

She slid into the seat between Sans and Shore, cackling as they both crackled and squeaked respectively. The elemental gave her a viscous glare, to which she smiled sweetly, and reached for one of his shakers. As Grillby busied himself with making Eva her drink, the woman glanced over at the human, who was staring with open curiosity at her long ears. She smirked when Shore locked eyes with her and flushed at being caught.

“Ask your questions, you look like you are bursting with them,” Eva laughed, turning towards the younger woman properly. “I honestly do not mind.”

“Oh, um,” Shore tapped the counter with her fingers. “I…I’ve never seen a monster like you. You kinda remind me of the elves from Lord-”

Eva waved her hand, a rueful smile on her face. “I am exactly that. Where do you think Tolkien got the inspiration from?”

Shore’s eyes practically bugged out of her head. “Wha-?”

Eva laughed. “Well, I am not exactly like his elves, but I may have told him a story or three of the legendary elven stories of long ago when we were stationed in France during the Great War.”

“and how did you do that?” Sans asked, leaning on the polished wood with an elbow. “blend in, i mean. your, uh-” He mimicked the pointiness of her ears with his bony fingers. “-are, uh, kinda hard to hide there buddy.”

Shore looked mortified even as Eva laughed lightly.

“I can change my appearance at will,” she answered, idly flicking her fingers and trailing lilac magic from them, “Temporarily and semi-permanently.”

It clearly wasn’t the answer Sans was expecting, going by his shocked blink. Shore gasped from beside her, leaning forward with bright inquisitiveness in her face.

“Really?? Just like that?” She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

Eva cocked her head and grinned. Her eyes glowed with an inner light, resembling a violet and lilac aurora. Before their very eyes her image blurred and shimmered and took another shape. The shimmering cleared after a few moments and in the elf’s place was a tanned muscled woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Both Shore and Sans jerked away from her, startled expressions on their faces.

Human-Eva laughed, her purple-grey eyes sparkling. “Almost, Shore, but not quite.”

Even her voice was different, lower in pitch and without her melodious accent.

“is there a limit of who you can look like?” Sans asked, eye-lights bright. “can you turn into someone like grillbz or somethin’?”

In answer Eva’s form shimmered once again. This time there was a bigger difference, the elf’s height shooting up and reshaping itself. When the image cleared, there were audible gasps from around the bar.

Grillby-Eva tilted her head in Sans’s direction, grinning at the absolute shock on his face. “Does this answer your question?” She asked, voice a perfect mimicry of the elemental’s.

The shape-shifting elf felt a hand on her elbow and turned to find Shore staring up at her. The human leaned forward and squinted, as if trying to find a chink in the magical image.

“You’re not as warm,” she noted quietly, taking her hand back. She rubbed her palm with her other hand. “Your skin feels like its crawling with magic.”

Grillby-Eva chuckled. “I never claimed it was perfect. It takes much magic to mimic his natural heat.”

She tilted her flickering head. “It has, however, been useful when decoys were an essential part of a mission. It has saved our lives more times than I can say.”

“It has,” the real Grillby inserted, drink in hand. He swept his eyes over the elf’s form, his flames colouring with his amusement. “I haven’t seen that tunic in nearly a millennium.”

She flicked her flaming wrist. “It is what I remember seeing you in.”

He nodded, setting the drink down in front of his doppelganger. “I think you’ve proved your point.”

Squinting her bright purple-grey eyes in a grin, Eva allowed her form to shift into her normal elvish form.

“to think i thought i’ve seen everything,” Sans muttered, turning back to the bottle of ketchup he’d been nursing. “is that your real form or is it another illusion?”

“It is the one I was born with, yes,” Eva answered, picking her drink up and idly swirling it.

“That’s amazing!” Shore piped up, her smile wide.

“I have often thought so.”

“If you made me make the drink for you to just swirl, I’m going to have to ask you to pay for it,” Grillby deadpanned, glaring at the elf lightly.

She waved her hand, a teasing grin on her face. Before he could get another word of complaint in, she lifted the glass to her lips and took a good drink. Her eyes widened comically as her skin crawled with faint images of pink and purple swirls. She glanced down at them and grinned, wiggling her fingers to watch them glitter.

“That is amazing, Sparkshine!” She lifted the glass higher to peer at the shimmering purple drink and then at him. “Magic-infused liquor! I never would have thought of it!”

His flames sparked happily even as they tinted blue. “I hoped you would like it.”

Eva giggled and took another sip before setting the drink delicately down on the bartop. The mood shifted and took the elf’s cheer with it. Now that she’d received her drink, she couldn’t ignore the expectant look from Grillby nor the curious one from Shore. With a sigh, Eva carefully slid her drink to one side and positioned her slender fingers over the bar.

She hesitated and glanced from Grillby to Shore. Something told her that he hadn’t told the human everything about the War, if anything at all.

“Grillby,” the elf murmured in the monster tongue.  
  
He gave her an inquisitive look.  
  
“Are you truly alright with me showing the War to them?” She inclined her head ever so slightly towards the human. “I can come back later, if you are not.”

He glanced first at Sans, then at Shore, then shut his eyes and let loose a shaky breath. His flames streaked with brief flashes of green, whether from fear or discomfort Eva couldn’t tell. Shore reached over the bar and gently took his hand in her own. He jumped slightly, his flames shooting quick blues through the greens, but the touch seemed to calm him some. Grillby took a deep breath and nodded at Eva.

“Go ahead,” he replied in the same language, “I will be okay.”

Eva noticed his grip on Shore’s hand tightened slightly but nodded anyway. She closed her own eyes, pulled up that hazy memory, and tugged at her wellspring of magic. Allowing her magic to take shape, the elf passed her hands over the bartop, creating lilac-hued copies of the images in her mind. After they were formed, colour bled into them until they were looking at a perfect copy of a battlefield from a birds-eye view.

“Whoa!” Shore gasped and Eva cracked her eyes open to watch the wonder on her face, “How-! What-?”

“Simply an extension of my illusion magic,” the elf supplied, opening her eyes fully to examine the scene for any flaws. “I can form it into scenes like this one, and with a little more effort, create a scene around you as if you were truly inside it. Directing nature to do my bidding is my other talent, as you will see later…”

Even Sans looked interested, leaning over the bar and staring at the miniature figures with curiosity. “i thought you were full of it earlier. hey, i think i see grillbz over there.”

Sans reached into the scene and pointed at a miniature Grillby standing at attention and wearing some impressive looking plate-and-mail armour. His head was bare, allowing his flames to blaze freely. On one arm he held a shield emblazoned with the Delta Rune and his other hand rested lightly on the pommel of a great longsword. Beside him on the front lines was an image of Eva, wearing ornately crafted plate armour. Image-Eva had her helm securely on her head, yet her unmistakable ears poked out of the holes made for them. She bore no shield, but instead she wore a thinner yet elegantly engraved broadsword. They were not alone; multitudes of faceless monsters stretched out on either side of them until the illusion faded a few inches from the edges of the bartop.

“It was one of the final battles,” Eva started, glancing up at the deathly silent Grillby, “After the humans found us again on our new homeland. We were getting desperate, being so few, and we brought out the most powerful we had. I was one of them, and so was Grillby.”

Another glance and Grillby was starting to flicker green again. Knowing that this was hard for him—hell, her own Soul was shuddering at retelling this—Eva caught his eye and poured as much comfort into her gaze as possible.

“I shall skip ahead to where I believe we were separated,” she told him quietly, accepting his thankful flicker with a nod.

Eva waved her fingers over the scene and it rearranged itself. Now it was in the midst of battle, humans and monsters engaged with flashing weapons and brilliant bursts of magic. Image-Eva and Image-Grillby were fighting a few feet from each other, both of them wielding their swords and, on Grillby’s part, bursts of fire magic against the mass of humans. Beside Image-Grillby was a small—or rather small compared to the elemental—skeleton weaving between the humans, throwing out bone attacks in openings created by Image-Grillby’s attacks.

Eva frowned when Grillby’s free hand flew up to his mouth and his flames dimmed at the sight. Her curiosity piqued when Sans audibly drew in a breath and leaned forward, an unreadable glint in his eye sockets. The elf made a mental note to ask Grillby, or maybe even Toriel, about where Gaster might be hiding. She did miss his bright eyes and even brighter curiosity about the world and how it worked.

“We knew that the humans brought their best in this battle, but we were not prepared for how many magi they brought to this one.”

As she spoke, a bright flare of magic shot towards Image-Grillby. He raised his shield to block it and stumbled back a few steps at the force of the hit. Another flash from another staff-wielding human shot towards Image-Eva and she swiftly stepped out of the way. It quickly became evident that the magi were purposely forcing the two powerful monsters apart blow-by-blow, step-by-step, until there was nearly a hundred paces between them.

“I remember losing sight of you,” Grillby muttered hoarsely for the first time since the scene began. His flames shivered. “I remember being so scared that you would be captured or worse.”

He glanced at Shore, as if gauging her reaction, and she met his stare with a wide-eyed one. She gave him a small smile and tightened her grip around his hand.

“Still doesn’t change my opinion of you,” the human told him quietly yet firmly.

Pretending not to be listening to their conversation, even though she was right beside them, Eva wiggled her fingers and the scene resumed.

The scene now focused on Image-Eva, as Image-Grillby was now too far away from her. She still kept evading the magical attacks with surprising speed and grace. Her face was set into a permanent scowl as she dodged and parried attacks from two, then three, then four, finally getting hit when a fifth mage added their attacks to the mix. Image-Eva’s helm flew off as she staggered at the blow, the edges of her armour smoking lightly. This opening is exactly what the other magi needed, finally landing spells of ice and fire and lightning onto the poor elf. Amazingly, Image-Eva still stood back up after every spell and, in a near imperceivable opening between their spells, attacked with a fervor that caught them off guard.

Current-Eva felt Shore flinch lightly at each kill Image-Eva made. First a sword through one female mage’s belly, then turning on the mage who hit her with a spear of ice. The icicle sticking out of her arm didn’t stop Image-Eva from lopping off his head. A bolt of lightning hit her in the back and she fell forward, mouth open in a silent scream.

“I was dying,” Current-Eva murmured, clenching her jaw as a phantom of the blow ran through her, “I may have taken down two of their magi but there was still three left, not counting the human army around me.”

She paused for a moment, her fingers trembling ever so lightly. “Us elves were killed off in a similar war about two hundred years before this moment. What many did not know, or was forgotten in time, was that some had a… survival instinct of sorts. I have long forgotten the proper name, but it roughly translated to 'blood lust’…”

“You didn’t…” Grillby gasped quietly, drawing all of their eyes. His own were wide and a horrified lime flickered over his face.

Eva avoided his gaze, instead lowering her eyes to the frozen image. “There…there is a reason why I swore I would never use it again, Grillby, and you are about to see why.”

The scene resumed. The magi circled Image-Eva’s fallen body, clearly jeering at her and hitting her with more spells. It was clear that they were relishing finally killing the High Commander that had caused them so much trouble, and were cruelly dragging out the pain. Image-Eva cried out silently as a blast of fire hit her side, sending her flying into a nearby cluster of rocks. She weakly stirred, dark blood streaming down her face from her hairline, nose and her mouth. The image tried to stand, but was cruelly forced back down by the mage stamping her booted foot in the center of her dented breastplate.

The mage spoke, blood splattered features twisted in an ugly sneer, and raised her staff one final time. Something in Image-Eva’s eyes flickered, darkened to a deep purple, and an animalistic snarl rolled over her face. Quick as lightning, the elf’s hand snatched the mage’s ankle and twisted.

Even in the image they could see the blood drain out of the mage’s face. Her mouth opened in a ragged scream as she staggered off the elf. Image-Eva staggered to her feet, that fierce rage still in her face, and slammed her fist into the mage’s chest. The mage was knocked flat onto her back, mouth gaping for air, which only slackened as a thick root shot up through her chest. Her Soul flickered brightly for a long moment before shattering.

Current-Eva grimly watched the scene as Image-Eva turned on the remaining two magi, dancing between their desperate attacks. Image-Eva wound more roots around their ankles and up their bodies, crushing delicate bones until their screams were silenced and their Souls shattered. The human army around them jumped to action now that their only chance of killing the elf failed. Image-Eva turned on them too, jutting her arms out and a feral screech twisting her visage. The earth underneath them churned and the humans staggered as hundreds of roots shot up out of the ground, entangling many of them in their hungry grip. Those caught in their deadly embrace was dragged screaming underground, never to be seen again.

And all the while, the blank, hollow fury never left Image-Eva’s eyes.

“S-stop,” a voice weakly said and Eva was surprised that it came from Shore.

The elf glanced over at the human’s deathly pale face. Her eyes slid up to Grillby and, upon seeing his green face, knew that it was enough.

“My apologies,” Eva murmured, flicking her fingers and the image dissipated with a shimmer of magic. She stared at the spot on the bar where her image previously stood.   
“War is disgusting and horrid. It is hell incarnate, and I deeply apologize you had to see that.”

She brought her hands up and flexed them, turning them this way and that. “I…that survival instinct gives me an unbelievable boost of energy and magic. It comes with a price, however. I cannot stop, cannot control my actions, not truly, until the 'blood lust’ is sated or I am out of danger. It…it does not matter who is in my way, human…or monster, just so long as it is sated.”

She gently set her hands on the counter. “After I sent the army running, I collapsed unconscious. I was too badly wounded and used up too much of my magic for it to heal me.”

Eva took a gamble and looked up at Grillby again, eyes softening a little at his green face. “It does not surprise me that I was counted dead.”

“Then how did you survive?” He pressed, voice just on the edge of pleading. “I couldn't- the only thing that could be recovered was your sword...”

The elf sighed and her gaze suddenly looked as ancient as she was. “I… I honestly do not know. Perhaps I had just a glimmer of magic still in me that started to heal my wounds. Perhaps it was some higher being that took pity on me. I do not know. All I know is that I woke up, several days later, in that same field.”

She glanced away. “I staggered out of that field and tried to locate the army, at least where I remembered where we were regrouping. I believe it took me a week to locate it proper, but it did not matter. By the time I got there, it was nothing but dust and ashes.” She reached for her drink, if only to have something to grip between her fingers. “I had no choice but to disguise myself when I ran into a group of soldiers. They told me, quite proudly, how the army managed to chase the monsters up the mountain and…”

Eva trailed off, her face perfectly blank. The only indication of her inner emotions was the shaking of her hand and the sloshing of her drink.

“I tried to break the barrier,” the elf continued in a whisper so soft that could barely be heard over Grillby’s flame, “I tried so many times. But the human Souls would always disappear before I could kill enough people to break it. I-” Her jaw tightened, voice becoming clipped but otherwise still neutral, “-I gave up around the tenth year after our people were sealed in. I…I could not take the failure anymore…”

Eva felt the glass start to give under her grip and quickly released it before she could break it. Now with nothing to occupy her fingers they curled into tight fists, her nails digging into her palm. The sharp pain was almost welcome, a distraction to all the emotions churning in her gut.

A warm hand covered her own. She stared down at that very human hand for a long moment before slowly looking up at Shore. The human was gazing at her with such sympathy in her features that it made Eva’s Soul clench. In that moment, the human's Soul shone in her chest and Eva was taken aback at what she saw.

“I can’t possibly imagine what that felt like, Eva,” Shore murmured, “but I am absolutely sure you did all you possibly could.”

A much warmer hand covered her other hand, flickering fingers gently prying her own out of their death grip. The elf lifted her head and blinked up at Grillby. His flames had returned to their peaceful flickering, but what made her facade start to crack was the understanding written in his golden gaze.

“Thank you.”

Eva tilted her head slightly.

“For doing all you could and more.” Grillby’s hand tightened just a little. “For coming to find us after all this time.”

A small smile broke through the forced neutrality she schooled her features in. “How could I not?”

A gentle flicker was his answer.

Dipping her head in gratitude, the elf turned back to Shore, who was watching them with a small smile on her face. Slipping her hand out of the human’s light grasp, Eva cupped Shore’s cheek, gently angling her face to look her in the eye.

“I have lived among the humans for over a millennium,” she said, “and I have rarely met a human with such beauty, both in appearances and Soul, as you possess.” Eva’s features softened. “Do not allow outside forces change who you are. You are truly a once in a lifetime being.”

Her lips quirked. “Well, a human lifetime, rather.”

She drew back, casting her gentle look over Shore for another long moment before standing. Grillby flickered and his shoulders sagged the tiniest bit.

Seeing this, Eva flicked her wrist and let out a soft hum. “I will not be gone forever, Sparkshine. Not for the foreseeable future. I have held your business and your attention up long enough.”

She was right. Although every patron had been focused on Eva and her story, they were starting to clamor for Grillby’s attention again. He glanced at one of the tables calling for another drink and an almost undetectable sigh left him.

Eva shook her head and moved past Sans, who had been silently scrutinizing her. She heard Grillby crackle and paused when he called out to her in their language.

“Come back after the bar closes.”

She half turned, sending him a knowing look. “Still have your questions?”

He nodded.

The elf hummed thoughtfully. “Alright. I shall find a way to occupy my time while I wait.” She tilted her head slightly, a brief flash of apprehension passing over her face. “Is Gerson…?”

“He’s set up shop near the ocean, under the docks.” Grillby glanced outside. “He might be asleep.”

A small laugh burst from her. “Really has taken to all the habits of an old man, hasn’t he?”

A chuckle and a crackle was her answer and she shot the elemental and his human sweetheart a final smile before slipping back out the door.

Eva glanced up at the dark sky and picked out the few stars that shone despite the city lights. Her smile softened and she briefly shut her eyes, the remaining tension bleeding out of her figure.

“May these people be blessed with a happy future.”

Although the near future will be tough, she knows that things will be okay in time. The elf is sure that Shore will be one of those key to the eventual reacceptance of monsters.

She reopened her eyes and started along the boardwalk leading towards the beach.

After all, Eva, the last of the Elves, has seen this cycle before. This time she will play an active role in this.

This time she will not fail her people again.


	2. A Soul-to-Soul Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Eva returns from pestering Gerson, she and Grillby have a frank and emotional conversation about a skeleton that had been very dear to them.

It was much later when Eva once again moved across the boardwalks. The moon hung high in the air, nearly halfway through its journey across the sky. A few stars shone brightly, stubborn in face of the city’s artificial light. There was hardly anyone out at the time of night except the few tipsy monsters tottering home. The elf smiled lightly down at a few who greeted her, apparently recognizing her from Grillby’s bar. None of them exchanged much more than the basic greetings, some complementing her on her skillful display of magic, before parting ways with good humour. By the time the elf had gotten to the center of the Walk, the streets were empty, save for the occasional patrolling pair of monster guards or human security.

She peered through the window of the dark bar and caught the tell-tale flash of light from Grillby. She hummed when that other elemental's—Fuku, she thinks her name was—flame flickered into view. That one she was curious about; she was obviously not as old as the elf or Grillby. Eva would have to ask him about that.

Despite the ‘closed’ sign hanging from the door, Eva found that it swung open easily. She caught the trail of flames as Grillby disappeared through a back door, presumably to the kitchen. Fuku turned from the shelves upon hearing the door open and sparked in surprise.

“Oh! You must be Eva!” She smiled and moved towards the end of the bar. “Uncle Grillby was telling me you’d come by.”

Uncle Grillby? That made things much more interesting. Eva summoned up a smile and held her hand out as the elemental bounded up to her.

“It is nice to meet you formally! I believe Fuku was your name?” Her smile turned a tad sheepish. “I do apologize for my earlier behavior. I was…startled to say the least.”

Fuku shook her head, her flames brightening a little in amusement. “It’s no big deal! I understand now that he told me about you.”

The elf tilted her head slightly, having half a mind to inquire exactly what he told her but the kitchen door swung open before she could do exactly that. Grillby paused when he spotted them and gave them a smile.

“Hello again my Lady,” he greeted, setting a broom to lean against the counter, “I see you two have met.”

“Formally,” Eva corrected with a grin, “Now that I am not standing around like a stunned idiot.”

Fuku giggled as Grillby flickered in amusement.

“How was your visit to Gerson’s, Lady Eva?”

The elf laughed and waved her hand. “Swell! After he was finished cursing me for leading him to believe that the sirens and water folk had finally come for him, it went very well. I suspect he will be lamenting about it when you meet him next, however.”

That got a chuckle out of Grillby and a good hearty laugh from Fuku. He glanced at the shelves his niece had been cleaning, nodded, and turned to the green-hued elemental.

“You can go,” he said to Fuku, “Please be safe going to Skatie’s.”

“Of course!” she chirped, untying her apron from around her waist and slinging it over her arm. “It was nice meeting you!”

“Be safe,” Eva found herself echoing as the young woman waved at them and slipped out the door. She shook her head as Grillby sighed and moved past her to lock the door.

“ _Uncle_ Grillby, hmm?” the elf inquired as he slipped the key into the lock.

“Yes.” He straightened and gave her a soft look. “Took her in when her parents…”

“Ah.” Eva sighed and shook her head. “Were they of the others that followed you..?”

“Yes. I believe you knew them, actually.”

“Hmmm, if you are talking about-”

“I am.” Grillby crackled his amusement.

Eva leaned back against a table, a wide grin on her face. “Oh Stars, I knew it was only a matter of time! How did he convince her to bond with him?”

“It was the other way around, actually,” Grillby chuckled, moving past her to pick up the broom again. “Made a good couple.”

“I always said they would be.” She sat on one of the bar stools, watching him as he quickly swept the floor. “Would…would you like some help, Sparkshine?”

He shook his head, flames sparking. “It won’t take me long.”

She hummed and, true to his word, he was putting the broom and dustpan away not ten minutes later. Eva stood from her seat as he approached her and followed him to another door in the wall. It led to a set of stairs, she found out, and with a gesture of his hand, she followed him up them. About halfway up she got a glimpse of his home, only enough to make out that it was rather spacious, before his light slid away as he ascended further up the stairs. Before long he was opening a door and, with a gesture and a smile, ushered her through.

Eva was slightly confused why he had led her to the roof before she got a good look at her surroundings and she gasped loudly when she did. Even without Grillby’s light the moonlight lit the small garden with ease. The vegetable plants looked perked and happy, absolutely brimming with pride, and the fruit trees hummed with their contentment with every rustle of their leaves. The grass covering everywhere else, long just as it should be, waved at her in the slight breeze up there.

The elf was brimming with excitement, one hand over her mouth as if to hide how utterly happy the sight made her.

“You took up gardening,” she whispered after several moments, moving to brush her fingers across the wide leaves of the nearest lemon tree. It seemed to perk and stretch towards her fingers, like a cat wanting attention.

“Asgore gives me advice, from time to time,” Grillby answered, moving to sit at the edge of one of his planters. “He enjoys gardening as much as you do, Lady.”

She hummed happily, cupping her hands around a pair of green, unripe lemons and allowed her magic to seep into them. Before her very eyes they grew and ripened into a brilliant yellow. The tree buzzed with magic and its branches waved softly as if caught in a wind that was not there. By the time she stepped back, a few moments later, the tree had shot up a few inches and there was a host of new lemons starting to fruit.

“They are very happy, Sparkshine,” Eva praised, turning back to beam at him, “Very well cared for. I could not be prouder.”

Grillby sparked in happy colours and patted the space next to him. She obeyed his silent request, gracefully navigating his garden and alighting on the stones next to him.

He gestured to the moon sailing over them, lighting the inky ocean below with her cold light. “This place has a very nice view.”

The elf hummed her agreement before turning her attention to the dark sky. Her eyes traced over the parts of the still-visible constellations in the city light. It was still beautiful, but not nearly as much as it was out in the countryside, where there was no other lights to drown them out. Her heart twisted slightly; the sky had changed so much since she, the fiery man beside her, and his talkative skeleton had gazed upon it last, together.

A small sigh left her lips and caught the attention of the elemental beside her. He flickered his quiet question and a small bittersweet smile twisted her features.

“Do you remember the last time we looked at the stars together..?” Eva inquired softly, not taking her eyes off the dim lights above.

Grillby was quiet for a heartbeat or two, before letting out his own sigh. “The eve before we lost you.”

She hummed, leaning lightly back on her palms. “I recall Gaster would not stop chattering about the stars, going on about his science and his theories about what they were made of.”

A rueful look crossed her face. “Some of it he was correct in.”

Eva finally lowered her gaze from the heavens to look at Grillby when the silence stretched on. He was no longer staring at the stars, but rather down at his clasped hands. His bowed posture was so utterly familiar to the ancient elf, that she knew without asking the fate of her dear friend.

She briefly shut her eyes. “How long..?”

Several moments pass in silence, save the gentle crackling of Grillby’s flames. Finally he took a trembling breath, his flames pitching in dim colours, and answered on a soft voice, “A decade.”

The elf bowed her head, her heart aching with newfound sorrow. “Were you two lovers?”

She heard the hitch in his breath and the elf cracked her eyes open to peer at him. Subtle blues laced through the reds, and his subtle nod confirmed her thoughts.

Eva sighed and scooted so that her arm was pressed against his. She leaned into him, pouring as much comfort into the touch as she possibly could. He flickered his gratitude and leaned into her. For several long minutes the air was silent, a companionable yet heavy silence. They took comfort in each others’ presence, joined in a mutual mourning.

After what seemed like a small eternity, Eva broke the silence with a thoughtful hum.

“Have I ever spoke that I had been married, Grillby?”

She felt more than saw the change in his flames. “Really..?”

The elf hummed an affirmative. “Yes. Long before you were summoned or there was even an inkling of unrest.” She looked back up at the night sky, a soft smile on her face. “I was nineteen when we wed, on a warm summer night much like this one.”

Grillby shifted, though not enough to dislodge the woman. “What was he like..?” he asked on a soft whisper.

Eva's smile grew slightly. “Noble and brave and so very loyal to his people. What drew me to him was his kindness, his beautiful Soul. He accepted me as I was, and I was a very different woman—a simple girl, even—than the one who guided you when you were just an elementling. I was… angrier, more impulsive and brash and tired of being mistreated and so, so lonely. He saw something in me and loved me despite my faults, for my faults. And I loved him just as fiercely.”

Her hand drifted to the pocket in her skirts and lightly ran her thumb over the lump in there.

“He was a beautiful man. Eyes as green as summer leaves and hair as golden as the sunflowers that grew there. Long and lithe, he was very easy on the eye.” She paused for a moment, gaze far away. “His smile could light up a room, especially when he caught sight of me or our children. He loved them as fiercely as he loved his people, even more so because they were ours.”

Eva felt Grillby’s eyes on her, sliding over her soft, relaxed expression.

“You still love him.” It was not a question.

Her smile grew slightly sad. “Yes-”

She tore her gaze from the stars to look him in the eye.

“-and I forever will, until the end of my days upon this world.”

Grillby’s eyes widened and his flames sputtered lightly at her soft proclamation. The old elf saw confusion and his own pain swirl in his gaze. She let out a soft sigh, her own heart twisting at her friend’s lingering pain; it was something that she knew very well.

“The pain never goes away,” Eva continued softly, voice full of an ancient wisdom, “Not truly. Time merely dulls it, glosses it over like a scab. It does not hurt as much as when it was fresh, but there will be things that will remind you time to time and it will ache. Oh Stars it will ache.”

The hand that had been thumbing her pocket slid into it proper, tangling with the fine chain inside.

A bittersweet smile twisted her visage. “For me, it is the colour of the leaves in the peak of summer, fields upon fields of sunflowers, and the smell of summer nights in the fields of England that remind me. Even after over 1100 years of living without him by my side.”

The elf paused, taking in a deep breath to ground herself.

“How-” She looked up sharply as Grillby spoke for the first time since the subject began. He was staring at her with a desperation she hadn’t seen on him in a long time.

“-How did you move on, Eva? How did you learn to-”

“…To let him go..?” Eva guessed softly after he cut himself off.

He nodded.

She sat back and let out a long puff of air. She was silent for several moments, to put her thoughts and memories into coherent words. When she next spoke, every word was measured and heavy with an ancient pain that made Grillby’s core shiver.

“It took me… a very long time to let him go.” Eva stared off into the night, her jaw tight. “To allow myself to view myself as a woman again and not a widow.”

Her fingers clenched around the chain in her pocket.

“My children helped,” she continued, “and my eventual grandchildren, but then they too were gone from me, and I was left without support and facing a war that I truly wanted no part of.”

A tight smile wormed over her face. “But it gave me a purpose again. To train younglings, to hone their natural talents into whatever we needed them to be. You were part of that, Grillby. I am thankful for the distraction while it lasted.”

She saw him flicker out of the corner of her eye. The elf remained turned away, unwilling to face him quite yet.

“I suppose it was a gradual process.” Eva sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I did not truly realize it until almost another century had passed. I remember the first time I realized that, thinking of him and our life together, did not bring screaming pain in my chest, or even an ache. There was simply… peace. Peace and acceptance.”

Now she turned into Grillby’s light and his natural heat dried the single tear that had escaped her hold. She gently tugged her fist out of her pocket, a gleaming silver chain draping from between her fingers, and offered it to him. He hesitated, but then stretched out his hand. She pressed it into his palm, and when she pulled her hand away Grillby blinked at the necklace sitting in his hand. He recognized the symbol the silver was molded into, a trinity knot connected together by a hoop weaving through its points. Finely etched into the metal was an intricate pattern of eternal knots, Celtic knots he knew them as. Dangling from the lowest two points were two teardrop-shaped jewels, one a vividly green emerald, and the other a violet amethyst.

“I learned something else in that moment,” Eva murmured after a few heartbeats, “It was that love, a true love that is shared between two Souls truly meant for each other, never dies. It is eternal, like what that knot represents, even if it does not keep the same form. It has no beginning and no end, it just is.”

Grillby looked up at her, an unreadable look on his face, and she gave him the gentlest, most understanding smile from the very depths of her Soul.

“Arthur would have never wanted me to dwell on him and forget to do the very thing he taught me to do every moment he took breath; _Live_. Live and Love. I am positive Gaster would want the same for you. He would want you to live your life like every day would be your last and love with every fiber of your being.”

She tilted her head, equal parts wisdom and mischief shining in her eyes. “If you would take advice from this old crone, take that wonderful human of yours and show her what it is like to be loved wildly, fiercely, _unconditionally_. Kiss her until you both are breathless and feel like you are flying. Hold her close until you do not know where you end and she begins. Soothe her heart and Soul and her physical injuries and allow her to soothe yours. And when time eventually takes her, do not mourn of what you had lost, but revel in what you _gained_ , for there is always wisdom her life gave you. Find it and keep it close.”

A myriad of colours flew through Grillby’s flames, making it impossible to pin down just one emotion. His eyes lowered to the necklace still sitting innocently in his palm and he stared at it with an intensity that only the truly conflicted can produce. After several minutes he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded exactly once.

Grillby reopened his eyes and exhaled, all other colours bleeding from his flames, leaving only his normal hue. He glanced down at the necklace one last time before offering it back to Eva. There was a peace in his eyes that wasn’t there before, gently twisting with genuine affection and gratitude.

“Thank you,” he whispered as she took the necklace back, “I…I will try.”

She knew that he was thanking her for more than her advice. The elf smiled and simply held it in her hand, thumb ghosting over the eternal knot. Grillby gazed down at her hand, a light shudder running through his frame after a moment.

“Gaster…” He started after a moment, glancing up at Eva again, “Gaster gave me… something similar. When my bar opened for the first time underground, he wanted to be my…my very first customer. He gave me this.”

Grillby reached up and removed a black cord from around his neck that Eva had not noticed until then. He set in in his palm, staring down at it for a few heartbeats before offering it to Eva. She took it and traced a finger over the warped golden coin, noting the faint symbols etched into it that had gone smooth over the years.

“It is beautiful,” she said, gently turning it over and examining the other side, “A fine memento.”

He shrugged. “He found it in the dump in Waterfall. Not worth much if it was thrown away.”

“You underestimate the value,” she rebutted.

She smiled up at him and held the coin up. “Do you know that in many cultures Up Here, coins are exchanged in weddings as a blessing for wealth, happiness, and luck between the wedded couple?”

Eva bit back a laugh at Grillby’s stunned expression and held it out for him. He slowly took it and stared at it, blue tinging his flames. While she was sure that was not likely the intent behind the gift, she had a feeling it would be a step in the right direction for him.

The elf looked back up at the sky and contented herself with appreciating the stillness of the night. Grillby joined her after awhile and for a long time they sat in a companionable silence, neither feeling like words were necessary. Eventually Eva’s thoughts wandered back to Gaster, another one of her friends gone from this world. She truly had been looking forward to reuniting with him, to talk about science and the stars and just being with the skeleton. He always had this air about him and a way of talking that made it impossible for her not to like him. He was interested in her life and what she had seen and asked questions that she truly had to think about.

The familiar feel of grief welled in her chest and pushed tears out of her eyes. Words came unbidden into her mind and poured from her lips; a song that her people sang in times of sorrow.

“ _May the road rise to meet you,_

_May the winds always be at your back-”_

Her voice stuttered as a deep timbre joined hers, soft and crackling lightly at the edges.

“ **May the sun shine warm upon your face,**

**May the rains fall soft upon your fields-”  
**

Smiling through her tears, Eva twined their voices together, her heart fluttering despite the sluggish grief bottled in her chest. Together they sang, both joined in their mourning a dear friend and in the deep friendship and understanding that ran between them.

“ _ **May the brooks and trees and singing hills,**_

_**Join in the chorus too.** _

_**May the Stars hold you close,** _

_**Until we meet again…”** _

 


End file.
